


childlike wonder

by antiopesgirlfriend



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/F, thasmin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 15:39:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17327735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antiopesgirlfriend/pseuds/antiopesgirlfriend
Summary: one of the things yaz loves most about the doctor is her childlike wonder. who would have thought someone who had lived for over two millennia could find so much excitement in the small things?





	childlike wonder

The thing Yaz loves the most about the Doctor is her childlike wonder. She lives in the present and completely and utterly loses herself in the things she loves. Her curiosity knows no bounds, and Yaz thinks perhaps this is because she doesn’t know what limits are. The Doctor does what she wants just because she wants to. She takes the best parts of being a child and runs away with them, leaving the worst behind. The Doctor is mischievous, shameless and more enthusiastic than anyone Yaz has ever met. But not once has Yaz seen the Doctor being childish. It’s the perfect balance, she thinks.

* * *

 “Wellies are one of the best human inventions.” Says the Doctor as she pulls on her pair. They’re shiny, brand new, and navy with a dull rainbow stretching around the middle.

Yaz shakes her head fondly. Only the Doctor would find the world’s most uncomfortable pair of shoes so incredible. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah!” The Doctor nods enthusiastically. “They can be a bit cold but if you have a pair of wellie socks, your problems are soon solved.” She gestures to the poking out over the top of her wellies. “Wellies are brilliant. They let you have all the fun of jumping in puddles without the downside of being cold and wet!”

This, Yaz admits, is true. But it doesn’t stop her surprise when the Doctor jumps in every single puddle they pass. There are a lot of puddles. They’re walking around a reservoir in the Peak District and it has done nothing but rain all week. Every hole in the path is home to another puddle.

When Yaz asks the Doctor why she feels the need to jump in every single puddle she sees, she receives a very matter of fact answer.

“You can’t just jump in _some_ puddles, Yaz. The others will feel left out.”

Yaz doesn’t know how to begin to address that statement. She just stares at the Doctor in disbelief. It is at this point, when the Doctor jumps out of the puddle, that Yaz realises the Doctor’s wellies light up with each step she takes.

* * *

 On a day when Yaz, Ryan and Graham are dropped off in Sheffield to get some business done, the Doctor decides to take some time to herself. It’s not often that she gets this, and rare that in such times she also wants to allow herself some time to relax. There are many conventional ways to relax – getting a massage, settling down with a cup of tea and a book, having a bubble bath. The Doctor decides on none of these.

Yaz, on the other hand, remains restless. Nobody is at home and they landed when she didn’t have a shift. She also misses the company of the Doctor. She never thought she’d be the kind of person to miss her girlfriend the second she left her. But here she is. Yaz decides she will return to the TARDIS and go back to Park Hill when her parents get back from work. She might bring the Doctor too. Najia has been asking about her a lot recently.

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight she walks in on. The Doctor is holding a golden microphone and is absolutely belting out the second verse of Barry Manilow’s _Copacabana_.

The Doctor fails to notice Yaz’s quiet entrance. She sings the last few lines passionately. “There was _blood_ and a single gunshot! But just _who! shot! who?!”_ Just as she is about to launch into the chorus, she opens her eyes and sees Yaz standing smugly, leaning on the railings just inside the TARDIS. The Doctor’s mouth lolls open, the music still playing but she does not continue to sing. She clears her throat. “That will be all, thank you.” She says to the TARDIS, embarrassment tinging her cheeks. The music fades out. “Yaz!” The Doctor turns to her girlfriend. “How come you’re back so soon?”

It is the first time Yaz has seen her display any sign of shame. “No-one’s around so I thought I’d come and see my girlfriend.” She pecks the Doctor on the cheek in greeting. Her skin is hot against her lips. “I’m glad I did. I wouldn’t miss that performance for the world.” Yaz teases.

“Maybe one day you’ll be lucky enough to see the whole thing.” Says the Doctor, trying to appear more confident than she really feels.

Yaz is not fooled. “I await the day.” She grins, hoping that that day will come soon.

* * *

 There are times when the Doctor gets so excitable it is almost unbearable for Yaz. Almost.

Each week, Yaz and the Doctor set aside Sunday as their date-day or their date-night and save that time for themselves. With the Doctor’s enthusiasm knowing no bounds, their dates were rarely peaceful. On occasion, they were romantic, but this wasn’t often. Therefore, Yaz decides to organise their date so it can be peaceful _and_ romantic.

A lot of planning goes into their date. The Doctor is an incredibly nosy woman, and Yaz finds it almost impossible to do anything without her noticing. When she is planning for something inside the TARDIS, it is made even more difficult as the Doctor always seems to know where she is at any given moment. However, she and the TARDIS are well acquainted now. The TARDIS trusts Yaz and helps her in her secret scheming. Somehow, Yaz is able to leave the TARDIS and return with everything she needs to run her and the Doctor a nice, romantic bath, without the Doctor noticing a thing.

“Doctor!” Yaz calls from the bathroom, voice verging on sultry.

The Doctor runs so fast, she skids around the corners, having to throw her arms out to balance herself and stop her from sliding into the walls. “Hey, Yaz-“ The words that were going to follow fell off her tongue. Yaz has run them a steaming bath, candles placed strategically around the edge, rose petals precariously balanced between them. “This is beautiful.”

For the first time, Yaz feels calmness overcome the Doctor. “Here, I got you this.” Yaz says, putting a bath bomb into the Doctor’s hands.

The Doctor eyes it up suspiciously. “What _is_ this?” She squints at it, holding it close to her eyes. It is very sparkly. And it smells so strong. The Doctor sniffs it, sneezing immediately. “It smells nice.” She brings it closer to her nose once more. Her tongue sticks out, the end of it poking out just enough to meet the bath bomb. Her entire face scrunches up as she tries to scrape the taste off her tongue with her teeth. “Ih doethn’ tasthe very nithe.”

“No!” Yaz rips the bath bomb from the Doctor’s hands. “You’re not supposed to eat that!”

“Good.” Replies the Doctor. “If you were, I would be contherned for the human rathe.” She resorts to scrubbing her tongue with her hands.

“I’ll get you some water.” Yaz laughs, filling a glass with water and giving it to the Doctor.

The Doctor gulps the water down so fast she’s left panting afterwards. “What _is_ that?” She looks at it with disgust.

“It’s a bath bomb.” Explains Yaz. “Just drop it in the bath and watch.”

“But it’s a _bomb_.”

“Trust me. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“Okay.” Says the Doctor gently. She takes the bath bomb from Yaz’s hands and drops it into the water. It froths and foams, blue bleeding out into the water with pinks and whites swirling between. The Doctor’s eyes widen in wonder. “It looks like a _galaxy._ ”

“It’s an intergalactic bath bomb.”

“It’s got _stars_ in it!” The Doctor looks at Yaz as if she is the creator of the universe herself. “This is amazing.” She breathes.

Yaz watches the Doctor as she stares at the bath in awe. “Are you going to get in?”

“You can get _into_ the galaxy?!”

“Yes, you silly billy!” Yaz ruffles the Doctor’s hair gently. “I thought we could have a bath together. If that’s okay?”

The Doctor looks into Yaz’s eyes. “It would be an honour to enter the galaxy with you, Yasmin Khan.”

* * *

 The first day the Doctor and Yaz met, the Doctor had begged Yaz to put the sirens on in the police car. She had point-blank refused. And she’s had to refuse her once or twice or eighteen times since.

After a few months of dating, Yaz decides it is probably time to give into her girlfriend’s deepest desires. And so, she bundles the Doctor into the police car, the vehicle literally bouncing with her excitement.

“Can we put the sirens on?”

“Not yet.”

The Doctor sticks out her lower lip. “But…”

“I can’t use the lights and sirens in a residential area, Doctor.” Yaz explains. “I’ll let you have a play with them when we’re far enough into the countryside to not affect anyone.”

The Doctor’s eyes widen, a mischievous grin playing on her lips. “ _I_ can have a play with them?”

“That’s what I said.” Yaz risks a glance away from the road so she can catch a glimpse of the Doctor. She is sure the Doctor is the physical embodiment of light itself. There is grin on her face which could not be removed by anything. Her left hand is busy holding back her right from touching the controls. “Do you want to learn how it all works?”

“Yes!” The Doctor nods so rapidly, Yaz is fearful her head might fall off.

Yaz takes the rest of the journey to explain the buttons to the Doctor. _Alley Lights_ are the white lights atop the car which allow the police inside to see house numbers if they’re driving in the dark. _Blue Lights_ are the lights which flash to signal the car’s presence and location. _Two Tones_ causes the sirens to sound, and the car horn is used to change the pattern between welp and the longer wail. _The Full Monty_ is the last of the buttons, and this is used to engage all the features of the car. “To facilitate your movement through traffic.” Yaz finishes off.

The explanation does not bore the Doctor, and by the time they arrive at a suitable layby, she is vibrating in her seat. “Can I?” She points to the controls.

Yaz nods.

Eyes gleaming, the Doctor begins to move her index finger towards the button labelled _The Full Monty._ Her movement is painstakingly slow. When her finger makes contact with the button, she does not press it straight away. Instead, she turns to face Yaz, her grin bigger than Yaz had ever seen it. Eye contact achieved, the Doctor’s grin morphs into a smirk and she presses the button. _Hard._ Despite being the one to press the button, the Doctor jumps out of her skin at the noise, her hands flying to her ears.

Laughing, Yaz presses _The Full Monty_ once more to turn it off. “Bit loud?”

“A bit!” The Doctor shouts. She tugs on her ears. “I think these might be broken!”

“You’ll be fine when your ears stop ringing.”

“What?!”

“I said you’ll be fine when your ears stop ringing!”

The Doctor shakes her head. “You need to talk a bit louder, love.”

Yaz rolls her eyes fondly. “Do you want one more go before we go back home?” She shouts.

“I think I might leave it!” The Doctor shouts back. “Thank you, though! I will remember this day forever!”

“Of course you will.” Yaz mutters under her breath. “I love you.” She says equally as quietly. It’s the first time she has said it to the Doctor and she says it when she knows the Doctor can’t hear her admission.

“I love you too.” Says the Doctor.

Yaz looks at the Doctor, shocked. “I thought you couldn’t hear?”

The Doctor looks at Yaz with narrowed eyes. “I didn’t _hear_ what you said but I have a history in lip-reading, I’ll have you know!” Her voice is still loud but it is becoming more bearable.

Kissing in a car isn’t an easy task. Particularly when both parties are involved have their seatbelts fastened.  But somehow, Yaz manages to knot her fingers in the Doctor’s shirt, drawing her in. The Doctor dips her head slightly, capturing her lips, melting into her girlfriend. Neither of them will ever tire of the sensation.

* * *

 It is the Doctor who teaches Yaz that being the most authentic version of yourself is the highest definition of success.  This is why the Doctor allows herself to be so excited about everything in life. Moments are special because they are declared as such. Why shouldn’t you celebrate your everyday?

Hence Yaz standing atop a steep grassy hill with the Doctor. It shallows to a level area at the bottom but all Yaz can do is look at it with apprehension.

“Are you ready?” Asks the Doctor.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Replies Yaz. She lies flat on her stomach, crossing her arms above her head and holding onto the Doctor’s hands ahead of her. “Are you sure about this?”

“Very sure.” Says the Doctor. “Hold tight.”

“I am!” Yaz says through gritted teeth. She is not sure why she let the Doctor talk her into rolling down one of the steepest hills in Sheffield. She thinks she was probably convinced when the Doctor had mentioned that she had never had the opportunity for such activities as a child and now wanted to catch up with all she had missed out on.

The Doctor holds on tightly. For this, Yaz is thankful.

At the bottom, it is a different story. They only just make it – they struggled to go in the same direction at the same speed for the entire trip down. Finally still, they let go, both rolling from side to side on their backs; their stomachs and cheeks hurting from the laughter they cannot stop.

“Again?” Yaz suggests once she’s got her breath back.

“No.” Says the Doctor sternly. “We must do _all_ the rolls first. I’m talking forward rolls, backward rolls, teddy bear rolls, maybe even cartwheels and _then_ we can re-do the sausage roll.”

The Doctor and Yaz roll for hours.

* * *

 Waves, Yaz finds out, are a lot like puddles. At least they are for the Doctor. She has to jump over every single one that breaks before the shore. Deeper in the water, the Doctor has to dive into them, jump and twirl within them, or launch herself so she travels with them. Yaz has to admit it makes the sea much more fun. Especially when it’s the Atlantic Ocean in May and the Scottish waters haven’t had enough time to warm up yet.

Yaz’s lips are blue. The Doctor’s lips are too, and their chattering doesn’t stop the chatting coming from her mouth.

“Please can we get out now?” Yaz whines.

The Doctor pouts. “Why?”

“I can’t feel anything below my shoulders.”

The Doctor’s eyes widen. “This is not good. We must fix this immediately.” She grabs Yaz’s hand and starts to pull her out of the water, towards the TARDIS.

Out of the water, Yaz winces. The Doctor’s skin is bright pink. Surely she had to be cold too.

“It’s time to warm up!” The Doctor smirks, looking Yaz up and down. “I like your swimming costume.”

“Doctor!” Yaz says, frustration creeping into her tone. “Can we please warm up properly before we do whatever you’re suggesting?”

“I was just going to suggest a nice, warm shower.” Says the Doctor innocently. “Together.” She adds. Less innocently. “But it means we will both warm up quicker!”

“Go on, then.” Yaz sighs. “But only because I love you.”

“I love you too!” The Doctor grins and drags Yaz further into the TARDIS so they can reach a normal body temperature.

* * *

 A place the Doctor _longs_ to visit is a waterpark. There is nothing stopping her from fulfilling her dream of visiting one either. Yaz could pretend she didn’t want to go, but she would never actually stop the Doctor from doing something she truly wanted to.

Yaz isn’t a pushover by any means. Quite the opposite, actually. But she loves her girlfriend a lot and, if she wants to make her happy (which she does), she will do anything for her. This is how she finds herself at the front of a queue for the biggest, steepest waterslide she had ever seen. It is U-shaped and it seems the idea is to slide up and down each side as the momentum decreases until there is a smooth exit from the slide into the water. Yaz doubts any of it will be smooth.

The Doctor is holding the double-dinghy and looking at Yaz warily. “Hey.” She says, nudging Yaz gently. “You okay?”

Yaz nods unconvincingly. “I’m just a little scared.”

“Yaz.” The Doctor waits for their eyes to meet before continuing. “You have fought off how many aliens and you’re scared of this?” Yaz’s eye contact wavers and the Doctor waits for her attention before she starts again. “Each time we step out of our comfort zone, our comfort zone grows that little bit more. It’s what makes each adventure less stressful. We get more and more comfortable until adventure is second nature.”

Yaz nods slowly. It’s convincing this time. “I’ll do it.”

“Good!” Grins the Doctor. “Because the smallest person goes at the front!”

There’s not a second of the slide that Yaz has her eyes open for. But she gets it. There’s a thrill to it. A rush of adrenaline, a quickening of the heart. If the Doctor feels like this every time she experiences joy, Yaz understands why she gets so easily excited. Yaz wants to try the slide again. She might open her eyes for the end this time. “Can we have another go?” She asks the Doctor.

“In a minute, babe.” The Doctor’s voice is distant.

“Doctor?”

The Doctor is looking at a small boy who seems to be eyeing her back up deviously. “Yeah, I’m proud of you, Yaz, we don’t have to do it again if you don’t want to.”

“Doctor!”

“Huh?” The Doctor’s head whips around.

“I _said_ I wouldn’t mind having another go at that slide.” Yaz point to the slide they’d just been on, but she knows she doesn’t have the Doctor’s undivided attention. “What’s got your attention?”

The Doctor looks back over to the boy, narrowing her eyes at him. “I think this child is challenging me to a duel.”

Yaz is speechless. “I’m sorry. What now?”

“He keeps looking at me and pointing to the slides over there.” The Doctor looks between the slides and the boy and nods slowly. “I’m gonna race him.” She charges towards them but is pulled back by Yaz.

“You can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Doctor, he is a _child_!”

“And I’m a timelord.” The Doctor retorts. “I’ll be nice, I promise.”

Begrudgingly, Yaz lets her go, slightly concerned over what will transpire. It turns out there is no need to worry. The Doctor greets him with a smile and a high five, paired with a determination Yaz has never seen from anyone else. Their race is quick and, unsurprisingly, the Doctor wins. She celebrates by trying to jump as high as she can in the pool, but her feet slip from underneath her and her head is submerged. She surfaces coughing and spluttering, but the grin still not wiped off her face. Her laughter is infectious and the little boy (and Yaz) find themselves laughing too. The boy challenges the Doctor to another race and she accepts the duel graciously. Once again, she wins but the boy is strongminded. They carry on racing.

Yaz spends the rest of the day relaxing on the sunbeds, watching her girlfriend race a boy of about nine down all the waterslides they can. She doesn’t mind. The Doctor is having fun while he gets to relax, which is something she doesn’t get to do much with her job and spending time with the Doctor. Watching her girlfriend’s joy is enough for her.

Just before closing time, the Doctor returns, sheepish. “Sorry, I got a bit carried away.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Says Yaz. “But I do have a request before we leave.”

The Doctor nods hurriedly. “Anything.”

“Will you race me?”

The Doctor’s eyes light up like a thousand stars. “If you think you can beat the reigning champion.” She tries to be nonchalant, but her excitement cannot be contained.

“Oh, I _know_ I can.”

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed this! thank you very much for reading it <3


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